This invention relates to data processing systems of the kind comprising a plurality of processing elements logically arranged in rows and columns so that each element has four nearest neighboring elements. Such a system is described for example in British Patent Specification Nos. 1445714, 1536933, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,270,170, 4,241,413, and 4,304,002.
In such a system, it is usually desired to allow each element to send information to, and receive information from, any of its four nearest neighbors. In the specifications referred to above, this is achieved by connecting each element to its four neighbors by means of a separate connection path. One object of the present invention is to reduce the number of connection paths required to transfer information between neighboring elements.